Shingle roof



E. BUSSEY SHINGLE ROOF Filed July 17, 1935 July 16, 1935.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Ernest flusse z ATTORNEYS July 16, 1935. BUSSEY 2,008,575

SHINGLE ROOF Filed July 17, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Ernet Hal/5585 ATTORNEYS Patented July 16, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in roofing shingles and the method of forming same, and has for an object the provision of a diamond type composition shingle which canbe cut from a standard roll of roofing material without waisting any of the material, and which can be laid and secured in position on a roof in less time than is required when laying other types of shingles.

My invention further contemplates the provision of improved means by which the shingles can be accurately positioned with respect to each other in order that the several rows of shingles will be parallel to the eaves of a roof, and the area of the exposed surfaceor showing of the shingles will be uniform throughout.

My invention further contemplates the provision of improved means for fastening the shingles in position on a roof whereby they are secured against displacement due to exposure to the sun, wind and rain.

My invention has other features which will be hereinafter set forth in the specification, and shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view of a piece of strip or roll roofing material and shows the lines along which the material is cut to form the shingles;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of my improved.

shingles;

Fig. 3 is a plan view illustrating the manner in which the shingles are laid parallel to the cave of a roof, and the means employed to secure them against displacement;

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing a plurality of shingles laid adjacent' a roof valley, and demonstrates the value of my improved aligning means;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a piece of roofing material and cutting lines for forming a modified form of my invention;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the modified form of shingle; and

Fig. 8 is a plan view which illustrates the manner of laying my modified form of shingle shown in Fig. 7.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, my improved shingle is manufactured preferably by taking a standard strip of roofing wide enough to form two rows of shingles and slitting it centrally, forming two strips each having opposed parallel straight edges 2 and 3. The strips are cut transversely along zigzag lines at distances equal to the distance between the lines 2 and 3 to form individual shingles. vThe transverse cuts are along lines 4 extending at an angle of 45 to the edge 3 for a short distance, then along lines 8 extending perpendicular to the edge 3 the major portion of the distance across the strip and then along lines 5 inclined at 45 to the line 8 and'the edge 2, to the point of intersection with the edge 2, the lines 4 and 5 being equal in length and oppositely inclined with respect to the line 8.

Each of the shingles thus formed has two opposed corners cut away and the other two opposed corners with projections or ears equal in area to the .cut away portions and with a short edge equalling in length the boundary lines or edges of the cut away portions. This feature is important in providing a ready means for laying and aligning the shingles as will be more particularly described hereinafter.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings, I show an individual shingle formed as just described turned to the position it occupies when laid on a roof. As shown, it comprises a body portion H, with triangular ears l2 and IS on the opposed horizontal corners of the shingle, formed by the diagonal cuts 4 and 5, said ears being oppositely inclined and on opposite sides of an imaginary horizontal center line across the shingle. The ear 12 has an upper horizontal edge l4 and the ear l3 has a lower horizontal edge IS.

The upper portion H of the shingle has a horizontal edge I9 and the lower portion l8 has a horizontal edge 2|, the edges l9 and 2| being equal in length and parallel to the horizontal edges I4 and '6 of the ears I2 and I3. 'In order to aid in aligning the shingles as they are being laid on a roof, I provide markings 22 and 23, which are vertically opposite the centers of the lines l4 and I6 so as to form right angle triangles with adjacent edges of the ears l2 and I3.

The shingles are laid as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, wherein a roofing strip 24 is first secured in position along the eave of the roof 26 by means of nails (not shown). The first row of shingles is then laid upon the strip, preferably working from the left side of the roof to the right side, and secured against displacement by means of nails 21 driven through ears l2 and I3 and by roofing cement 28 interposed between the strip and the lower portion l8 of each shingle. In laying the first row the lower horizontal edge 2| of each shingle is made to coincide with the lower horizontal edge of the strip 24, and the horizontal edge l4 should be made to coincide with the upper horizontal edge of the strip 24. The-marks 22 and 23 on adjacent shingles are placed opposite each other and the cars 13 are positioned below the ears l2 of adjacent shingles. This insures an accurate laying of the shingles with unskilled iabor.

The width of the strip 24, it will be seen, should be equal to the vertical distance from the horizontal edge 2| tothe horizontal edge l4 in order that the top and bottom edges 01 the strip may be used in aligning the first row of shingles. When the first row of shingles have been laid as above described, it will be noted that the ears l2 and I3 abut to form a web 29 between theshingle bodies H, which is defined by the horizontal edges l4 and Hi.

In laying the second row of shingles, their horizontal edges I4 and 2| are positioned in alignment with the edges I9 and I6, respectively, on the first row of shingles and with the aligning marks 22 and 23 opposite each other. Also the upper right hand diagonal edge of the top shingle intersects the angle formed by the meeting edges at the upper end of the underlying shingle. This gives three distinct checking points to insure accuracy in laying the shingles. The ears l2 and I3 of the second row of shingles are then nailed to the roof and their lower portions I8 are secured to the web 29 formed by the underlying ears l2 and l 3 by means of roofing cement 28. The roofing cement serves as a plastic bond to hold the lower portions l8 of all shingles in position and also protects the nail heads which are completely covered by the cement.

The shingles may be laid with equal facility beginning at the right and working toward the left. In such a case, the second row is laid by placing the mark 23 on the shingle being laid in register with the mark 22 on the next shingle to the right, placing the edge 2| on the shingle being laid to coincide with the lower edge of the web 29, and placing the edge I4 to coincide with the edge I9 on the underlying shingle. The shingle is then fastened down as before described.

It will be seen that, working in either direction, there are three aligning locations on the shingles, remote from each other, which insures extreme accuracy in laying.

The aligning marks 22 and 23 are especially useful to assist the workmen in maintaining a uniform lap for the shingles on the roof and in laying', the shingles adjacent a valley in a roof, as illustrated in Fig. 4. By placing the marks 22 provided on the shingle fragments 3! in alignment with the marks 23 on the adjacent shingles, they will be correctly positioned. The marks thus take the place of the aligning edges which will not be available.

In Figs. 6, '7 and 8 I show a modified form of shingle 35 provided with a generally square body portion 36 and one ear 31 which is similar to the ear [3 provided on the preferred form of shingle. The ear 31 is provided with a horizontal aligning edge 31a corresponding to the edge l6 shown in Fig. 2, and which is parallel to an aligning edge 38 formed at the lower corner 39 corresponding to the edge 2| shown in Fig. 2. Aligning marks 40 and 4| are provided on the comer adjacent the ear and on the corner 43. This form of shingle is cut from a strip 44 by slitting it centrally along the line 46 and transversely along the straight lines 41 and zigzag lines 48, similar in direction and length to the lines 4, 5 and 8 shown in Fig. 1, the lines 41 and the portion of the lines 48 perpendicular to the edges being spaced apart a distance equal to the transverse width of the shingle so as to produce a generally square shingle.

In laying the shingles 35, those in the lower row are positioned and secured on the strip of roofing material 49 by means of nails 21 and roofing cement 28, one nail being driven through the car 31, and, the other nail being driven through the opposed corner 43 of the shingle.

The shingles in the second row are aligned by placing their lower aligning edges 38 over the aligning edges 310. on the underlying shingles, and by positioning the aligning marks 4L in alignment with the edges 5| of the underlying shingles. The aligning marks 40 are particularly useful in laying shingles along the valley of a roof, as shown in Fig. 4, as the side edges 52 of the underlying shingles can be placed in alignment therewith to provide the correct overlap.

The shingles in the upper rows are secured by nailing as above set forth, and by means of cement 28 placed on the upper corner 50 on the underlying shingles to hold the overlying corners 39 against displacement. A thin coating of cement is also placed on the ears 31 and the corners 43 to .protect the nail heads and to prevent the corners 39 from curling upwardly.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided a shingle affording a maximum of roof coverage per shingle, with a minimum but adequate marginal overlap, and which may be laid with a minimum of nailing, only two nails to a shingle being employed. The longer lower edges lie flat on the underlying shingles with the lower end of the shingle when laid held down by roofing cement only which covers and protects the nails in the underlying shingles. This cement forms a plastic and somewhat elastic bond that takes the place of any clip or mechanical holddown and not only leaves the shingle tip imperforate, but, what is more important, it leaves the side jointsrof the butt free of any interposed element that will hold them open or in any way space the joint members or break the continuity of surface contact between the side edges of the butts and the underlying shingles or roof elements. The side joint elements of composition shingles, when thus held against displacement, will, in due course, and in the manner normally to be expected as a. result of the action of the elements, become integrally united. The cement is shown as occupying a roughly circular area which is the natural shape a dab will take when spread between the opposed shingle surfaces to its service position. In such position it becomes merely a film of adhesive which acts to bond but which will not constitute an interposed element that will space the joint members that it bonds. It will be noted that this joint area lies inwardly from the outer edges of the side joints. This position is important because with side joints unsealed, the cement should not be placed as to trap or divert inwardly any water that might work its way into the joint. With the joint members properly laid and securely held in surface contact, water cannot find its way far enough into the joint to be trapped by the cement bond. Moreover, the prescribed method of applying the cement in a concealed dab keeps it back from the exposed edges of the corner joints and preserves the unmarred attractive appearance of the roof. Further, the cement applied as a dab over match marks 22, 23 at the foundation center, requires no careful work on the part of the cementer and consumes a minimum amount of cement per square of roof. The angle which the lower diagonal edges of the shingle present to the roof prevents water from running under the edges of the shingles and the roof thus covered is free from leakage. These advantages, coupled 75 with the fact that the shingles may be accurately andrapidly laid by unskilled labor, provide a shingle which is extremely economical of use as well as attractive in appearance. 7

While I have shown my invention in but two forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications, without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are-specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A composition shingle roof laid with shingles having tapered spaced butts and juxtapomd side anchorage corners disposed to be overlapped by the tip of the butts of the shingles in the next upper course, nails applied through said corners to anchor the shingles, and cement applied over the nail heads and under the butts to hold the downwardly conversing side edges of the butts fast in tight uninterrupted surface contact with the underlying roof elements, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. A roof covering laid with diamond type shingles having tapered spaced butts and juxtaposed side anchorage corners adapted to form foundation for the tips of the butts of the shingles in the next upper course, nails applied to said corners to anchor the shingles, and a dab of cement applied on said foundation under each of the butt tips and spaced inwardly from its side edges.

4. A roof covering according to claim 3; in which the anchorage corners lie level and abut along a diagonal line bisecting the foundation and have matching markers at the center of each foundation.

- ERNEST BUSSEY. 

